Smith Creek Baptist Church
9312 N. Congress Street PO Box 99 New Market, VA 22844 540.740.8560est. 1756
The purpose of this page, as the Ketocon Church page, is to give some LANDMARKS so that the student of Baptist History can see a link to the past and rejoice in the work which God has wrought over the past 250+ years. These are the places through which we can track some of our history. Some of these buildings are just shells with a reminder of simpler days and humble beginnings. As Baptists, they needed a location with water deep enough to immerse believers, so most of these buildings are out in the country and very near streams or rivers. These locations take us back to days when buildings were erected by, and for, the little flock of believers in the area. Some of these places bring to our mind, oft forgotten, out-of-the-way places where circuit riding preachers traveled into the hills, along the creeks, and into the hollows, to preach to the gathered saints the precious Word of God. Many of these churches saw greater days than we see of them today, in a time when travel was not so easy, but where was a group of believers who wanted a place to worship and to hear the preaching of God's word.
Below are pictures of places, plaques, or monuments, and directions to help the student find some of the lesser known places where the Spirit of God is working, and other places where the Spirit of God was working in other days. For the time being, until the buildings fall down, as you stand in the cool shade of the rustling leaves you may catch a glimpse in your mind's eye of the preacher heralding forth the precious Gospel, "Jesus Christ died for your sins, and arose from the grave;" "Ye must be born again;" "Won't you come and call upon Him?!"
The House is said to have been used by the Baptists between 1790 and 1899.
If new information would be helpful to bring this page up to date,
please email me at info@smithcreekbaptistchurch.com.
Other Historic Sites and Churches
Located at Berryville, VA, Buck Marsh Church was destroyed at some point and is now Berryville Baptist Church (SBC) on Academy Street in Berryville, but it was at one time a Regular Baptist church where Jamie Ireland pastored, and there is a monument here in his honor.
The large plaque on the stone reads:
IN MEMORY OF
1748 JAMES IRELAND 1806
MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Converted in Frederick County, VA.,
Baptized and Ordained at Sandy Creek, NC, Imprissoned at Culpeper,
VA, for preaching the Gospel, Organizer of Baptist churches,
Pastor of Buck Marsh Baptist Church 1786 - 1806,
His body lies in Buck Marsh Cemetery near here.
Whether it be right in the sight of God
To hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye,
For we cannot but speak the things
Which we have seen and heard. Acts IV:19-20
In gratitude for the blessings of spiritual
religion and freedom of conscience won in part through
his sufferings this memorial is erected
by the Baptists of Virginia on the one hundred and twenty-
fifth anniversary of his death, May 5, 1931
The Historical Society has placed marker J 1-A North of town on US 340 just a few hundred feet north of the VA-7 and US 340 interchange, near where the original Buck Marsh Church stood, and where James Ireland is buried.
White House is located west of Luray at the Shenandoah River - South Fork bridge. It was originally built in 1760 by Martin Kauffman, a Mennonite. Under the ministry of John Koontz, Kauffman was convinced from the Bible to become a Baptist, and they began to work together and the house became a Baptist meeting house. For the full history you can go to http://www.carthage.lib.il.us/community/churches/primbap/FamHist-PageVA.html.
Mauck Meeting House is located in Hamburg, on Hamburg Road (Rt 766) just a mile to the east of the White House. .
There is more information at www.luraypage.com/historic.htm and www.pipeline.com/~richardpence/millcreek.htm
Anderson Moffett (pastor at Smith Creek - New Market ), and Jamie Ireland, preached here occasionally, too. General Stonewall Jackson used this building as a fort in the Civil War. There is more information at www.luraypage.com/historic.htm and www.pipeline.com/~richardpence/millcreek.htm
The Leland-Madison Memorial Park is located on VA-20 at Clifton Rd in Orange, where Congressman James Madison met the Baptist preacher, Elder John Leland in 1788 to see if the Virginia Baptists would approve the Constitution. Leland, a regular Baptist, told Madison that the Baptists would not vote for the Constitution unless there was a provision to worship and assemble freely. Thus the first point of the first amendment in the Bill of Rights was presented in 1789 and approved in 1791, guaranteeing the right to worship and assemble freely according to the dictates of one's own conscience without interference, and that the government would not establish or enforce a state church. This is a very important place in America's history which revisionists would like to "revise and hide."
Mt Zion Church (inactive, Historical Site)
Located in Loudon County on US 50, 1/2 mile East of US 15 and US 50 intersection. It is the same style as other buildings of that era, with men's and women's entrances for blacks and whites.
Directions from Believers Baptist: Continue down Evergreen Mills Rd (Rt 621) to Watson Rd (Rt 860), turn Right. Go to the church on the US 50 roundabout. Follow the signs on the roundabout.
